Martinsburg daily gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1887-1887, 1887-05-12
STORIES OF CRIMINALS.
AN EXAM PIE or HONESTY IS THE
BEST POLlcY.n


A Prisoner Threatened with cerebro-
Spinal Msningitis-The Hero or Hum
dred Durglaries-Burglary as . 'Legiti-
mate vocation"--No Pardon.
We have at the New York state reform
atory casuistry class. One morning the
teacher said: NOW, boys, Iewould like
to get your. opinion whether, from the
standpoint of moral casuistry, honesty is
the best policy, after all One Of those
fellows answered: 81 believe that honesty
Is the best policy, though am not an
honest man myself. / know two fellows
in New York, who used to be crooks, and
were always getting into trouble, but they
reformed and got in luck. They went
over to Philadelphia and went into the
clothing business, first as clerks, and they
kept right along for eight or nine years,
and finally they got to own an, establish
ment, and people had confidence in them,
and they got credit to the extent of $780,
Oeo, and they got away with the whole
When in the Ohio penitentiary one day,
the wife of a prisoner, an accomplished
New England Lady, handsome, cultivated,
irresistible-to the chaplain, anyhow
solicited my offices to go with her to tho
governor to ask for his pardon. 4 had to
say to her: mo, madam, there are hum
tlred men here more leservilig}pf Il par
don than yonr husbai,st.I | viii Introduce
You to the govcrno:, but viii not intercede
for the pardon OF yol,r husband / took
the precaution to go to the governor in adj
vance, and explain to him the. situation
She presented certificate from the prison
physician. The governor read it slowly:
"Charles W, convicted, ut such a time
and place, of the crime OF larceny of a
horse and buggy, is now under conviction
for his first offense, and he is iii imminent
danger of c-c-r-c-b r-o-spinal-m-e-n--
mountaineering At once he OK
claimed; sGood heavens has he got oil
that? Let him go!' His clerk made ont
the necessary papers for the prisoners re-
lease. 1t required four men to hold him
in the prison hospital, and four men to.
take him from the hospital tothe carriage
"A half an hour later / foundtlim lying in
bed in the fourth story of hotel, having
walked up stairs without any assistance
whatever
NJ A HUNDRED BURGLARIEs
| once had the pleasure of making a
visit, with the governor of the state of
Illinois, to the penitentiary at Joliet
There was confined in it at the time i. very
noted burglar from the city of Chicago
ThesgoVernor had promised that he would
have some conversation with him in re-
gard to an alibi which he claimed to be
able to prove, and which would establish
his innocence of the crime of which he had
been convicted. had some impression of
the character Of this man when saw the
warden, on sending for him, open drawer
in his desk, take out revolver, and put
it in his pocket. The prisoner was brought
in, and the governor listened to the tale of
his alibi. At its conclusion he inquired:
s'How many burglaries have you ever
committeds'' fR
II don't know, governor. Inever kept
count. suppose about hundred" .
"You have been a very bad man.
n ssW no says SO, governoR2'
The governor was taken somewhat
aback, and answered: ssThe newspapers
why, governor, have seen your
name in the newspapers once or twice.
If they will say such things about man
in your position, what must be expected
of a man III MINER F
He went on to remark that he need
have no hesitation in granting him q par
don, for, though he made no professions
of repentance-it would be absurd to do
that-he had come to the conclusion,
while in prison, that a life of crime does
notpay. He had tried it. He had beer
all his life d burglar, he had robbed
banks, he had hisl hundreds Of thousands
of dollars pass through his hands and he
was just as poor as when he began; and,
having come to that conclusion, he felt
that the governor might safely release
~ y